After last week’s post about the Slavic werewolf, the Wilkołak/Vukodlak, this special edition of Slavic Saturday we’re going merry and bright with the various Christmas gift bringers throughout the Slavic countries. Then, next Saturday (the 2nd of January) we’ll go into Koliada, which was a Slavic pagan celebration of the winter solstice that has now become associated with Christmas.
(June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also join my monthly newsletter for updates and free novellas (such as the prequel, The Rider in the Night) set in the world of the series.
Background
Unlike in American and Western European culture, Santa Clause isn’t common in Slavic countries, and instead, each country has its own tradition of gift-giving around the Christmas and New-Year time. This is largely because Santa Claus is a combination of Saint Nicholas, “Father Christmas” in British traditions, and also the god Wodin from Germanic traditions. This combination didn’t merge into Eastern Europe, where instead Saint Nicholas continued his prominence.
Saint Nicholas (in Slavic languages: Święto Mikołaj, Sveti Miklavž, Sveti Nikola, Cвятий Миколай/Svyatuy Mykolay, Никољдан/Никулден/Nikulden, Никола Зимний/Nikola Zimniy, or Svatý Mikuláš), who was a 4th-century priest in Greece, appears in almost every Slavic nation, usually giving gifts not on Christmas Eve or Day but on St. Nicholas Day (either the 5th, 6th, or 19th of December, depending on the country). While Santa is sometimes referred to as Saint Nicholas (“Saint Nick”), the saint’s appearance is not like that of the Western vision of Santa, though it has changed to become more so in recent years and ranges by country.
Another figure that needs to be discussed is Ded Moroz (Father Frost) from Russia. He has roots all the way back to Slavic mythology, but beyond Russia and Ukraine, his folklore wasn’t very known until the Soviets used him to extend their control over religion, replacing Saint Nicholas with him in many countries. This makes him somewhat of a controversial figure, as his roots are more genuine in Russia and Ukraine but not in many other Slavic nations.
Now, let’s dive into the variations of gift-giving winter traditions in each country. I’ve done my best to collect stories from various Slavic countries, but if you know of one in your country that I missed, please let me know and I’ll add it!
West Slavs
Poland: Unlike many of the other countries we’ll talk about, Poland has a wide variety of gift-givers around the winter holidays depending on the region. Attempts by the Soviets to introduce Ded Moroz (Dziadek Mróz) largely didn’t stick in Poland. Instead, Saint Nicholas comes on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day to put treats, toys, or piernik cookies in freshly polished shoes left out by children (or put beneath pillows) if they were good; though, he often appears in person himself. He is portrayed as a priest with red, white, and gold robes with a long white beard. This brings some similarities to that of Santa but keeps a more traditional Catholic (depending on the country) styling to him that Santa lacks. He also brings rods to punish bad children, either leaving them by the gifts or doing the (often joking) punishment himself.
Sometimes, this role is also played by Gwiazdor (Starman), who is a Santa-like being mixed with Krampus who both gives gifts on Christmas Eve but also jokingly punishes bad children. In other areas of Poland, a little angel comes with the first star on Christmas Eve with gifts, or even the Baby Jesus himself (Dzieciątko) brings the gifts.
Czech Republic: Similar to the heavily Catholic Poland, Saint Nicholas appears as a priest and brings gifts on the eve of his day. Instead of dealing gifts and punishment himself, though, he brings along an angel for the gifts and a demon for the punishment. Gifts are either given out publicly from him or via shoes and under pillows at night. Due to the Czech Republic’s influence from Germany as well, the bad companion can be Krampus or Knecht Ruprecht instead of the demon, depending on the region.
Just like some parts of Poland as well, Baby Jesus is the one that delivers gifts on Christmas. He even has a residence in the Czech Republic – a town called Boží Dar in the mountains.
Slovakia: Saint Nicholas appears as a priest, and, like in the Czech Republic, he brings along an angel and demon to give gifts or punish. The demon brings a chain instead of a rod here, rattling it and scaring children, who polish their shoes and place them out in hopes of a gift and not coal. On Christmas itself, gifts are, again, brought by Baby Jesus (Ježíško).
South Slavs
Croatia and Slovenia: On the eve before Saint Nicholas Day, children leave out shoes for Saint Nicholas to fill with treats and other gifts. This tradition is similar to that of the Austrians, and it even has its own version of the infamous Krampus, called Parkel/Parkelj. While Saint Nicholas fills the shoes of good children with candies, coins, or toys, Parkelj leaves a rod in those of bad children for parents to use to (again, jokingly) punish the children. Typically, most kids receive a bit of both as a mix of good and bad actions instead of just being on the “nice” or “naughty” list.
The Soviets tried to institute Ded Moroz (Djed Mraz or Dedek Mraz) during their influence over Yugoslavia, but Saint Nicholas has taken the role back since then. Djed Božićnjak (Grandfather Christmas) was created post-Yugoslavia in Croatia, though, and since then, he’s merged with Djed Mraz and still brings gifts to some families on New Year’s Eve.
Serbia: Much of the gift-giving often related to Christmas or Saint Nicholas Day is instead done on New Year’s Eve, making these already important celebrations in Orthodox Christianity focused more on the religious aspects. This includes a fast before Saint Nicholas Day and then a feast on it. During the three Sundays ahead of Christmas, there is an interesting tradition of family members being tied up and then ransoming themselves (children on the first Sunday, mothers second, and then fathers on the third). Then, on New Year’s Eve, gifts are sometimes brought by the controversial Ded Moroz (Deda Mraz), but this was largely due to Soviet attempts to silence Christianity and celebrations of Saint Nicholas.
Bulgaria: Grandfather Koleda (Dyado Koleda/Дядо Коледа) is the gift-giver here, stemming from the pagan to Christian Koliada celebration. Saint Nicholas Day is, like Serbia, a very important Orthodox feast, and from what I can tell, gifts are not associated with it.
East Slavs
Russia: Similar to Serbia, Saint Nicholas Day takes a more religious than gift-giving tradition in Orthodox Russia, and most gifts are given instead on New Year’s Eve with Ded Moroz.
Ded Moroz’s continuation post-Soviet times is likely due to the fact that the character stretches long into pre-Cristian eastern Slavic folklore. Called Morozko or Ded among the early Slavs, he was a wizard of winter who later was labeled a demon by Christians. Over time he became ingrained into Christmas traditions, though, and today he is pictured similar to his Western counterpart with a particular Russian flair, including either a red, ice-blue, or silver coat with white fur. His hat is rounded instead of the long, cone-like one of Santa, and his long robes often stretch to the ground, full of embroidery. Often, he carries a winter-themed staff as well.
Ded Moroz doesn’t travel alone, though. He has a granddaughter named Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden. Her name would lead you to believe that she comes from Slavic mythology, but instead, her first mentions come from 19th-century folk tales. Nowadays, she travels with Ded Moroz in an ice-blue dress or robes with golden embroidery and white fur. She wears a similarly colored fur hat or the traditional Russian headdress, a kokoshnik.
Unlike Santa, Ded Moroz doesn’t live at the North Pole and instead has multiple houses. There’s a fun article by Russia Beyond that talks about them, but the main house is Veliky Ustyug, where he lives with his wife (Winter) and his helpers. People visit here often and can deliver letters.
Ukraine and Belarus: Similarly to Poland, Saint Nicholas comes on the eve of his day to deliver treats beneath children’s pillows if they’ve been good for the past year. This tradition was taken away during Soviet rule but has returned with Belarusian and Ukrainian independence. Gifts are sometimes also brought on Christmas Eve as well.
New Year’s Eve remains a major day for gifts as Ded Moroz (Did Moroz or Dzied Maroz) plays a major role still. Similar to Russia, some of the folktales related to him have roots in Ukraine and his role is very much equal, though the same cannot be said of Belarus. Snegurochka appears as Snihuronka in Ukraine, serving a similar position as Did Moroz’s companion. In Belarus, Dzied Maroz’s residence is in its oldest primeval forest, where he lives with Snegurochka and his assistances.
In The Frostmarked Chronicles
Nothing! These traditions are fun and interesting but (almost) none of them are related to Slavic mythology, so they won’t be making it into my Slavic fantasy series. Only Ded Moroz could make an appearance as a character at some point, though I currently have no plans for that.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week (the 2nd of January as this is this week’s post), and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable and as well as some creative freedom for my book series.